Surrounded by Enemies

We are accustomed to war; it is part of the modern world, just as it has been a part of history. Fighting and bloodshed are part of the human condition. In the OT, those enemies were seen and known as the nations surrounding Israel. These both attacked Israel, and were attacked by them. Yet, this is not how we are instructed to handle our enemies – whoever they might be. What can we learn from a text like Exodus 17 if our response is to be so much different from Israel’s? We should learn, first of all, that not all enemies are as obvious as they seem!